Front end bounces horribly when going over 55 mph

Like was posted, get axle weights when loaded and unloaded to see if the front is getting lighter with the load added. Adding water to the fresh tank or loading all your heavier items forward of the axle can help equalize some of the weight. Adding heavier damped shocks to the front and rear and will reduce oscillations. If you are worried about unloaded drive comfort, look for something like the Rancho RS9000XL than can be adjusted with a knob based on load. Stiffening the rear will marginally help the front bounce, so I don't advise that unless you are getting a lot of spring bounce in the back when driving due to soft spring rates. The Torklift lower StableLoad wedges are a good option since they can be engaged or disengaged based on load.

It is possible that the camper exceeds the payload of your truck, and that the camper CoG is far enough back that it even transfers weight from the front axle to the rear. That would explain your handling issues. 

Get the truck axles weighed with and without the camper in the bed. Then compare the actual weights with the FAWR/RAWR as stated on the door sticker of your truck, as well as the weights of the axles without camper and with camper.

If nothing else, you will know the actual weights of the truck and camper.

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tbchristian3 wrote:

Hello everyone, 

I have gone through most of the posts for cab over bouncing and I can't seem to find a solution that fits my current set up. 

I have a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3 L V8 4X4 Crew Cab.

The slide in camper is a sun lite pop up but I am not sure of the model number or exact weight. Unfortunately the guy I bought it from didn't have any info on it. He said he though it weighed roughly 1000 lbs. 

What I do know is the camper only sticks out a few inches past the tail gate so it's roughly 6ft long inside the bed. My bed is the 5.5 ft (the shortest bed they have in a 1500). I have the Happijac camper tie downs installed in between the cab and bed and tie downs mounted to the back bumper. I used a regular set of turnbuckles off of amazon. They are Brophy Machine Works brand and have a tensile strength of 2100 lbs.

The issue I am having is that when I get up to 55 mph or higher the front end of my truck starts to bounces uncontrollably. I have tried adjusting tire pressure and tightening the turnbuckles but neither of those things helped at all.  Any other pointers? is the camper to heavy for my truck? Is it a WD problem?

Here's a pic:

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At the very least, you need to transfer more weight forward in the pickup. You may need to keep water tank and holding tanks empty when driving. Some heavy gear may need to travel in the rea seat of the truck. Other gear as far forward in the camper as possible.

Stated weights are often very optimistic bare bones dry weights - no jacks, no battery, no propane, no water, no gear, nothing. Truck campers are notoriously heavier than you think they are, and any optimistic calculations will not help to solve your issue.

Go to a Cat scale, or try a company that has a scale (waste, sand, any place that frequently needs to weigh trucks) and ask nicely. 

What does the bouncing motion feel like? Truck camping rigs can develop a porpoising motion under the "right" circumstances, often even when under the applicable ratings. But usually not when driving on an even road.

If that pic is on stock suspension, that camper is pretty light and definitely not too heavy for the truck. 
what you’re describing sounds like driving on concrete pavement and the pavement joints making the front bounce. 
How far what kind of highways have you driven on?  Does it do it on asphalt too? (Likely doesn’t). 
Regardless, heavy duty rear shocks and stiffening up the rear suspension assuming it’s still just stock will help everything in general. 
Maybe describe the bouncing and conditions better. Pursuant to what I asked above. 

I see a big back seat well ahead of the rear axle. Was the seat loaded during your test run? Consider upsizing your human and/or canine family, or use the back seat to store heavier equipment and extra water.  It's not the camper COG that matters so much as the payload COG. 

Bouncing is usually worn-out shocks.

I would locate a scale and weight both axles, 4-corner weights would be ideal.  That tells if your truck loaded weight is balanced or the front axle is way underweight.

I’d suggest air bag suspension system, or overload springs front and rear. Heavy duty shocks all around, and 10 ply tires. If that don’t fix it the only other thing would be to buy a 3/4 ton truck ( aka 2500 / f250 ) to dedicate as a tow vehicle just for the camper.

Hi tbchristian3, welcome to the forum. I don't really know much about truck campers. But just looking at the picture it looks to me like it's ready to pop a wheelie with the slightest nudge under the front bumper.

It also looks like the camper is not snugged all the way forward to the front of the bed. Is it possible to move it forward more and make sure to transfer more weight to the front axle? Or does the bed have a curve in it and that's as far forward as it goes?

Aside from that I would do as joerg68 suggests and get the truck weights both front and back axle with the trailer installed and then again with the trailer removed. Also look inside your drivers door at the yellow and white sticker and get the max payload capacity for that particular truck.

Doing some digging on the camper itself, the only model it could be with how small it is is the Sun Lite Eagle SB. The weight of that model shows 1090 LBS. With my payload capacity at 1595 LBS is this too heavy for my truck?